The 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros (right) and Gary Ruvkun (left) for the discovery of microRNA.
IImage (left): molbio.massgeneral.org;
Image (right): UmassChanMedical school
What is microRNA?
MicroRNA is a small molecule crucial for gene regulation, which is a process that enables cells to 'switch on' only those genes that they need.
This discovery helps to explain how distinct cell types, despite having the same DNA, can showcase different sets of proteins.
It elucidates why different cells, such as nerve and muscle cells have different functions despite having the same DNA.
The Nobel Committee said that this discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.”
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